SAFETY FIRST

03.14.13

Troops in Afghanistan on Alert

Afghan Pres. Hamid Karzai on March 6. (Anja Niedringhaus/AP)

Following Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s incendiary speech criticizing the United States, American commanders are warning their troops to “intensify security measures” in case an attack is imminent. In his speech, Karzai claimed that the government may attempt to overtake the U.S.’s notorious detention center Bagram Prison. Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr. issued an official referendum to his forces alerting them to the severity of the comments, saying that Karzai’s “remarks could be a catalyst for some to lash out against our forces—he may also issue orders that put our forces at risk.” Meanwhile, the war-torn country remains plagued with violence; most recently, a suicide bomber detonated his bomb in the midst of a large crowd in the Kunduz province.